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Monday, 1 September 2014
Page: 9078

Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative

To the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives in the Parliament assembled:

This petition of the members of the community within Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Upper and Lower Hunter Valley in NSW living within the catchment area of Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative.

Draws to the attention of the House: that Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative, as a Commonwealth funded Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, has not demonstrated good corporate governance, transparency and accountability pertaining to the appropriate expenditure of Commonwealth funding and public monies for the provision of services and programs to Aboriginal individuals and families living in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Upper and Lower Hunter Valley in NSW.

Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative has not provided value for public monies with closing the gap in health and wellbeing and social disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal people in the Community.

We therefore ask the House to: commission an independent review of the corporate governance of Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative and the expenditure of public monies provided by the Australian Government for services and programs to the Aboriginal Community living in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Upper and Lower Hunter Valley in NSW and within the catchment area of Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative.

We also ask the House to undertake an independent qualitative evaluation of services and programs provided to the Aboriginal Community. The findings are requested to be reported to the community in a public forum.

from 208 citizens